By Bejay Browne.
According to the latest figures available from the British High Commission in Nicosia, there are approximately 38,000 British nationals registered in Cyprus and, despite Brexit looming in just a few short months, another estimated 15,000 to 20,000 still remain unregistered.
As the transition period for Brexit runs out, Britain will leave the European Union on December 31, there are still some British nationals living in Cyprus who are yet to apply for their paperwork, even though without it, they will no longer have right of residence.
“There are some of our members that are burying their heads in the sand and not doing what they’re supposed to and don’t have the correct paperwork. I think, as they’ve been here thirty years or so, they feel put out and don’t see why they should, as they have blue residency cards or whatever, that were given to them years ago and told, ‘This is for life’,” Debbie Bell, the chairman of the UKCA in Paphos, which has around 400 members, said.
This is not the case though, and British High Commissioner to Cyprus, Stephen Lillie, recently urged listeners on the Rock FM Breakfast Show to get the correct paperwork as soon as possible, and that all forms of residency permits, papers or cards that were issued before are no longer valid.
“It is so important to have the correct residency paperwork, this will enable British nationals to continue to live in Cyprus and access their rights and health care,” he said.
Under EU law all non-Cypriot EU citizens must register with Civil Registration and Migration Department. If remaining on the Island for longer than 90 days, as a UK National you will need an MEU1 (Registration Certificate).
After living in Cyprus for more than 5 years, you may apply for an MEU3 ( permanent residency certificate).
UK Nationals that wish to live in Cyprus must have either an MEU1 or MEU3, all previous forms of temporary and permanent residence registrations issued to UK nationals prior to 2004 are invalid, including aliens book and pink slips.
The UK withdrawal from the EU makes residency registration essential and if unregistered, may also be liable for a €2,500 fine.
The Covid-19 pandemic has only highlighted how important holding the correct documentation is. Permanent residents of Cyprus that have been stuck abroad due to the flight ban and who did not hold the correct papers found almost impossible to return.
Heather Purdie of the British High Commission in Nicosia said: “Ahead of the end of the transition period on 31 December, we will continue our information campaigns to encourage Brits to register with the Cypriot authorities to secure their rights, including access to support for vulnerable cases.”
Bell noted that she is aware of problems with a few individual cases, where obtaining the correct paperwork, is proving to be difficult, but that most cases, including hers, the procedure has run smoothly.
She added that with the help of the CRPG, the Cyprus Residency Planning Group and SSAFA, (for military veterans), a considerable number of members are in the process of obtaining correct paperwork. The two charities are helping British nationals settle their residency status in Cyprus now that the UK has left the EU.
The charities recently submitted the first batch of residency applications from vulnerable UK nationals to the interior ministry.
They said : “The remit of CRPG is to help people obtain residency in Cyprus who are elderly, infirm, disabled or have difficulty understanding the process – or who live remotely with no access to information or easy links to transport.”
It is supported by the UK FCO Nationals’ Support Fund.
According to the CRPG, UK nationals should have an MEU1 before the end of the transition period (currently December 31, 2020) and they may still apply after five years for an MEU 3.
www.cyprus-crpg.org
Email : contactus@cyprus-crpg.org
Telephone : 99826087 Monday—Friday: 10AM – 1PM
